Priceline Hotel: 3* Detroit Suburbs (Troy-Madison Heights) Troy Hilton

[galileocan]

Just bid for a 3* in the Troy area. Looked like the Hilton was the only 3* in Troy that Priceline was offering, so was kind of expecting to get that hotel. Went on the Hilton web site and the lowest available rate for the night I was looking for (May 1/07), was $153 plus tax.

Decided to go in at $60 for the night on my bid. Suprisingly........I was accepted on the first try! Over 60% off the hilton.com rate! :)

Your Offer Price: $60.00

Number of Rooms: 1

Number of Nights: 1

Subtotal: $60.00

Taxes & Service Fees: $14.38

Total Charges*: $74.38

[blindman]

Thanks for posting the win.

What made you so confident it would be the Hilton?

[galileocan]

I generally check what Priceline is offering at their own rates for the various star category hotels. I assume that the "Name your own Price" hotels will be one of those hotels from that star level. When I checked the rates on Priceline, they were only offering one 3* property in Troy. I assumed that if I bid, that I'd get that one - and I did!

[thereuare]

Not a reliable strategy... see the related link in our PRICELINE FAQ.

[galileocan]

Thanks, however it seems odd that a property would only participate in a "Name Your Own Price Scenario" doesn't it? If a property has rooms, why would they shut themself out from having someone on Priceline who is willing to pay for a hotel at the set rate rather than go through a perceived hassle of bidding for a hotel, they may not want? I've used this strategy many times on Priceline, and have yet to get a hotel that did not show up in a regular priced offering. If there's more than one hotel in your star category, you never know which one you'll get, but I've found every time that on the Name Your Own Price, you always seem to get one of the hotels that you would have found on the list of hotels available at a regular rate in that star category

[thereuare]

it seems odd that a property would only participate in a "Name Your Own Price Scenario" doesn't it?

Not at all, there are a variety of reasons why a hotel may participate in one side of the service but not the other.

Distribution costs, exclusive agreements, technology compatibility issues, and a host of other reasons could explain why a company may participate in one side of the service but not the other. There are more than a few instances users winning a hotel that didn't appear in the non-opaque listings.